Pokemon: The Hunt for Gardevoir
by MKStanley
Summary: Alright guys first Pokemon fanfic. Tells of a new trainer and his first and most loyal Pokemon, and the feelings he develops for her... R&R I can't get better if I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Rated 'T' for eventual language and some minor themes.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This started out in third person. Then I realized I was being an idiot so I fixed it.**

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><p>Our story begins on the outskirts of Pallet Town with a young boy, Artemis, barely 10 years old. His hand massaged his head through his dark messy hair, intense purple eyes focused intently on the clouds, knowing it would rain soon. He didn't want to go home, but he was hungry and knew that his mother would worry if he didn't get back soon. He was excited, knowing that tomorrow he would receive his first Pokémon, and begin his journey to become a great Pokémon trainer. His thoughts drifted to the future but quickly snapped back to reality when he felt a drop of the cold rain hit his nose.<p>

'A dark and stormy night', I smirked, 'How cliché', starting to head back to my home. I am not a normal boy. I consider myself quite mature, for a 10-year-old, and, according to my mother, there is an intelligence in my eyes that makes most people uncomfortable around me. I enjoy the rain, even though it's quite cold, but I know that I need to gather my strength for the coming adventure, so I suppose it would be best to get home early and try and get enough sleep.

The rain had started pouring, and I was thinking about how comfortable my nice bed was, when from the night, I heard a growl, then it was joined by a second one, then a third, and countless others until I was sure there was a whole pack of... whatever they were. I'm not someone who scares easily, but confronted with a pack of possibly aggressive wild Pokémon without any way to defend myself, I did the only logical thing to do. I began to run. Then suddenly, from the darkness came a cry. It wasn't a voice or word I recognized, but I could tell what it meant.

_Help!_

I felt it as much as I heard it, and though I never rushed recklessly into anything without a plan, I knew that if I didn't do something, something bad would happen to her (for the voice was definitely female), and as cold as I acted towards others, that was more because I didn't like most people than because I was actually compassionless. So I looked around, grabbed a large branch and my flashlight, and ran towards the voice, formulating a rather sketchy plan as I ran.

-POV Change-

She was running, running, not even in charge of her own legs anymore, just running, instinctively fleeing the howling and growling, left, right, jump, edge of the forest should be right... there! stumbling a little as she turned to locate her pursuers, then tripping as a root deposited her painfully at the foot of a massive beast, dark haired and with eyes the color of fresh blood. The large number of scars he had marked him as the leader, and as the rest of the pack circled around her she froze in fear. She barely had time to scream as he stepped up to her…

-POV Change-

I was running towards the sound when I saw them, highlighted against the darkness by lightning, then gone as fast. I was terrified. An entire pack of Mightyena, and they didn't look friendly. And I was running towards them. _'Artemis what the hell are you doing? This is ridiculous, just go back home and wait until tomorrow, then you can…'_  
>Then I heard it again, fainter this time, a cry followed by shuddering sobs, and adrenalin coursed through my system as I increased my speed. I had never been seen as much of an athlete, being pale and fairly scrawny, but I was surprisingly strong, and I had been working out and exercising every day in preparation for my journey. So when I slammed into one of the Mightyena, it dropped. I kept going until I stumbled into a small clearing. I remembered the flashlight in my hand, and having lost the element of surprise, I figured I might as well give myself some light. As soon as it flicked on, the 4 Pokémon turned towards me, until yelping and looking away from the bright light that had ruined their night vision. Taking in the situation all at once, I decided to go after the 3 smaller ones so I wouldn't have to continually watch my back.<p>

I ran up to the first one, brutally smashing it as near to the head as I could, and it stumbled away as fast as it's blind, dazed legs could carry it. I then went to working on the second's legs, smashing its paws with the flashlight and sweeping its legs with the branch. Even before it hit the ground I had turned towards the third one, not even bothering with my 'weapons', instead simply kicking it in the face as hard as I could.

As it stumbled away with the second one close behind it, both with tails between their legs, the alpha decided it had had enough of this meddler, and that its dinner could wait. It turned towards this small nuisance that had intruded on its meal and bared its teeth, in hopes of terrifying it making it easier prey. What it didn't expect was for the small fleshy thing to charge at it, and as it took a small step back in surprise, it snorted, realized that small thing couldn't possibly hurt it and stepped forwards again.

At this point I was beginning to tire, but with all the adrenalin in my system, I didn't even really notice, and sprinted at the alpha, swinging when I got close enough. My eyes widened in surprise as the alpha jumped out of the way without even grazing the stick, and suddenly I felt a claw-laden paw slice across my back. With my momentum I had managed to avoid getting completely gutted, but it was incredibly painful and definitely bleeding. As I stumbled from the blow I rolled over the thing that the Mightyena had been focusing on, but due to the manner in which I traveled over her, didn't see her. As I climbed to my unsteady feet, I saw the alpha charging at me, jaws wide open, claws bloody, teeth widened in what must have been a feral grin.

I looked at its' eyes and realized the alpha had decided that the fight was over, and that it had won, and I smiled. As it jumped to finish this annoying pest, I laughed, collapsed to the ground, and the Mightyena shrieked as it saw the tree I had slowly shifted in front of. It felt its skull collide with the trunk, saw stars, then felt two large heavy objects crash down on the back of its head. When it came to, it was morning, and its meal, along with most of the pack, had gone.

I rolled away as the alpha hit the tree, and when it hit the ground, I used both my flashlight and the branch and brought them both down on this evil creatures head. After making sure it was out the adrenalin rush slowly began to fade, and I realized I had cuts and scrapes all over my legs from running through the dense bushes, and from my fall. Then I remembered my back, and the pain rushed back, and I fell to my knees as the pain threatened to overwhelm me, as my vision blurred and my ears rung. Wait a second, I thought, utterly confused, that's not my ears ringing…? And then I remembered why I had done all this in the first place as the ringing coalesced into sobs. I looked around, then stood, and almost fell back down as another wave of nausea and dizziness hit me. For a second, I thought I was going to throw up, but instead straightened, took a deep breath, and decided to worry about it later.

I opened my eyes, and as they searched, they found it… they found… her. It was a Pokémon, I realized, because no human could possibly be that green, and my mind worked as I tried to remember everything I knew about them. My mind, still dizzy and a little slow from the adrenalin, struggled to remember what they were called, and it came to me, right as she opened her mouth.

She was a Ralts.

"Raallltss"

I knew she was in bad shape, knew that moving her could be dangerous, but realized there was no other way. I picked her up as gently as possible, and ran back towards the Pallet Town Pokémon Center.

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><p><strong>Whew! Well that was fun! I knew my English class was good for something, gave me plenty of time to work on this. So, what did you guys think? I promise it'll get romantic eventually. R&amp;R please.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys, I know the chapters are pretty short, but I'm writing these during school so I write them mostly on my iPod, and they seem a LOT longer on there**

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><p>I was shaking, not just in exhaustion, but also in terror. After running all the way to the Pokémon center with an unconscious Ralts in my arms, all the while being pelted by the fierce drops of rain that were practically horizontal in the wind, I found that it was closed, due to bad weather, and the fact that nurses need sleep too. From there, I had no choice but to run back to my house, as fast as my tired legs could carry me.<p>

As I finally reached home, I noticed the lights were on, even though it must have been quite late, and realized mother was not going to be happy with me. I swallowed my nervousness, quickly stepped up to the door and grabbed the knob, simultaneously switching the Ralts to a relatively steady one-handed grip.

As I entered the house the first thing I noticed was my mother, pacing back and forth in a barely-controlled frenzy. As she turned to me, startled, she recognized me and angrily opened her mouth, then closed it as she saw the unconscious Pokémon in my arms. The angry look faded, slightly, and was replaced by a more curious one, followed quickly by motherly concern as she took in our soaked, beaten, and scratched up appearance.

I quickly said, before she had a chance to ask anything, "It's a long story but she needs medical help and the Pokecenter was closed."

Her eyes narrowed as she went into action mode. "Alright take her upstairs and into the bedroom. Grab some towels. I'll be up in a second."

I nodded, knowing now was the time to just shut up and do what she said. As I reached the bedroom, I noticed the Pokémon's' eyes fluttering, and when I wrapped her in the towel her eyes flew wide open, startling me with her piercing red-eyed gaze.

"Hello..." I said slowly, she tried to sit up and I gently but firmly pushed her back down "Hold on there, it's probably better if you lie still."

Her eyes were wide in fear and filled with tears, so I spoke softly and soothingly, "Hey shhhh it's alright, you're safe now, they're gone now. My name is Artemis." I said, trying to take her mind off the fear. I didn't expect any response, except for perhaps more tears, but I was surprised when I felt a kind of hesitant calm, coming from… her!

I looked at her shocked, then realized something, 'She's a psychic-type, must be something to do with that'

I took a breath, storing that information for later, and said "Okay my mom is going to come in here and give you some medicine, it's going to sting a bit but I promise it'll help you feel better after that", and right on cue, my mother walked in with a large red box.

"Okay this is going to sting a bit," she said, pulling out a spray bottle with some red medicine in it. I removed the towel, and mother sprayed the Pokémon with the medicine, watching her carefully as she winced, then sighed and fell asleep, unable to stay awake after such a brutal and terrifying night.

My mother then turned to me and said. "Alright young man, let's see what you did to yourself."

I stood silently; face clenching in pain every time she applied the medicine to my back, waiting for the inevitable interrogation. Finally, she was done, and I knew that the next part would be just as unpleasant, if not more so.

"So," She said, "Why don't you explain to me what exactly happened. From the beginning."

I swallowed nervously, then began. "Well, I was out walking…"

And after a good three minutes, I finally finished with an awkward "…and then I was here, and got bandaged up."

She just stood there, staring at me. Having been silent the entire time, I was incredibly concerned that she was saving up for some massive explosion. I was right.

"You, did WHAT! How many were there? HOW MANY! And what did you do? Instead of the sensible thing like running to get help you had to go…" and proceeded to rant for a good minute and a half, (not noticing the Ralts, now shifting uncomfortably in its sleep), about how stupid it was to take on a pack of wild Pokémon with a stick and a flashlight and 'didn't I raise you to use that brain of yours'. When she finally finished her tirade, she took a deep breath, and closed her eyes in an attempt to calm herself down.

I looked at her, debating whether I should ask about my journey tomorrow, then decided it would be safer to ask about something else. "So what do we do about" I gestured towards the sleeping Pokémon "her?"

Her eyes opened dangerously, she looked at me, and I realized I shouldn't have said anything at all.

"Young man", 'Oh dear...', I thought in the short pause that followed, "do you know how incredibly idiotic it was to bring a wild Pokémon into the house? Who knows what it might do or be!"

She took a breath and I quickly said, before she could, "She's a Ralts; they're a psychic-type Pokémon. They're mostly harmless."

My mother just let her mouth hang open mid-sentence for a second before it snapped shut. "Okay," she had to admit it was good that he knew that but, still…

She sighed, knowing that she couldn't be angry at him for long. After all, he wasn't injured beyond a few scrapes and those three deep scratches. And he had rescued the Pokémon. Even though she wasn't a nurse, she knew they were both going to be fine, so she decided to just let it go.

"Alright tomorrow you're going to go see the Professor like planned, and if she's still here in the morning, you're going to take her with you, where the Professor can decide the best course of action."

I nodded, knowing that this was the best plan, and seeing that the Pokémon was sleeping, decided to get some rest myself.

"So, um, I guess I better go get some sleep myself." I said, but I looked at her questioningly to make sure she didn't need anything else from me. She nodded, "Yes but take her with you. It's probably better that when she wakes up she sees something she recognizes. Leave the doors open in case she wants to leave."

I sighed but picked her up and carried her to my room, very gently, trying unsuccessfully to avoid waking her. As I set her on the bed, her eyes flew open and flicked back and forth with fear at an unrecognized area.

"Hey..." I said softy. Her eyes found me, and she relaxed a little. "Sorry I woke you." I sat on the bed next to her and she nuzzled up to me, startling me. "Ummm... tomorrow I'm going to start on a journey, and we're going to take you to a friend of ours, and... You probably can't even understand me." I finished lamely, realizing I was probably just talking to myself, and not really knowing how to deal with a wild Pokémon. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I felt a kind of acknowledgement. I hesitated a moment, then said "Well tomorrow's a big day, so we should probably try to get a little bit of sleep." She nodded in what I assumed was agreement, and as I began to lie down, she crawled away and curled up on my pillow. I just looked at her, amused, then decided my arm was comfortable enough and fell asleep on it.

The next morning, I woke up, and wondered why I was in such an unusual position, then realized the significance of today as the memories flooded back, my weariness disappearing instantly. I quickly sat up, checking the clock. '7:02, Excellent, plenty of time.' Then I looked over, saw the still sleeping Pokémon, smiled, decided not to wake her, and headed off to the kitchen to make some breakfast.

It was 7:50 when I finally woke her, having eaten, showered, brushed hair and teeth, and changed into my new, comfortable, traveling clothes. I gently shook her arm, and she slowly opened her eyes.  
>"Good morning. Are you ready to go?" She looked at me curiously, then rubbed the sleep from her eyes and hesitantly nodded. "Alright, I suppose you're hungry, but I think Professor Oak will have some food for you, and he doesn't live very far away."<br>She smiled and bounced excitedly as her stomach grumbled quietly. I stood up, walked towards the door, and she slid off the bed and followed me out.

As I walked in to the Professors lab, the Ralts following closely behind me, I noticed the messy area, books, pokeballs, and scientific apparatuses strewn about, and finally the Professor himself, standing in front of a large microscope, writing in a notebook.

I stepped up to him, clearing my throat. "Professor Oak?"  
>He turned around, "Ah hello Artemis. Erm, pardon the mess, I don't get many visitors here in the lab. Why don't you follow me to the kitchen area? It's a little better there." I shrugged and followed him.<p>

As we stepped into the kitchen he looked at me and said "Now I assume you're here to pick your… Eh? What do we have here?" he asked, finally noticing the Pokémon clinging to me. He knelt down and stretched his hand out slowly towards the Pokémon, but she hid behind my leg. I quietly said "Come on, it's okay. He's a friend." She moved out shyly, and he said in surprise, "... Artemis, why do you have a Ralts following you around?"

I replied "Well it's a bit of a story..."

"That's alright I have time."

So I quickly recounted how I had found her and got her to my home. "So what do we do with her now?"

The Professor thought for a few moments, "Well normally I'd suggest that we release her to her family, but it's unlikely that they're nearby, especially if she was alone when you found her."

"Alright so what DO we do?"

The Professor smiled and said "Well she seems to like you, and Ralts are fairly powerful, she could be your starter Pokémon."

I looked down at her and she smiled back, "Would you be willing to do that?" I asked, and she responded with a cheerful and exuberant "Ral!" I looked back to the Professor and said "I guess it's settled then."

"Alright you're going to need a Pokedex and some Pokeballs. Hmmmm... They're around here somewhere, let me just... Alright they must be in the lab area, wait here, I'll go find them and be right back." and with that he hurried out of the room into the mess that was his lab.

"Well we could be here awhile." She simply nodded in agreement. "So... I guess you need a name." she considered this, and then nodded again. "Well what about Jeanette?" she shook her head no. "Crystal?" she shook her head again. I thought for a while, then, "Amber?" she hesitated, then smiled brightly. "Alright, Amber it is."

At this point, Professor Oak came back into the room, holding a small red and black Pokedex and 3 Pokeballs. "Alright I suppose that you probably already know a little bit about all of this so I'll spare you the boring details. However we are going to have to register her." He handed me the equipment, and turned to his computer. I looked down at Amber, took a Pokeball, and touched her in the nose with it.

She began glowing red, then changed entirely and flowed into the Pokeball, not even struggling once before it settled. I looked at it before pressing the middle button, releasing her again. She looked at him curiously, then at the Pokeball, examining it closely while the Professor spoke to me. "So would you like to give her a nickname?"  
>I dragged my attention away from her and said "Her name is Amber." The Professor nodded and turned back to his computer, typing something in, then turned back to me and said "Most starter Pokémon already have a little bit of training before they set out; it might be a good idea to take it slow the first week or so. Other than that I think you're good to go."<p>

I thought for a second before replying "Yes, I believe I am. Thank you for everything, Professor."

"Not a problem." He said with a smile "If you ever need anything, you know where to find me."

"Come on Amber, let's go." As I headed out the door I heard the Professor's final "Good luck!" before the door swung shut. As I walked off, Amber right next to me, I couldn't help but notice how the sun was shining more brightly and cheerfully than usual.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm assuming that his Ralts already knows Confusion; otherwise it'd be a worthless starter Pokémon. I am also skipping a lot of the battle scenes because I'm writing a romance fic, and I find writing a decent love story is more fun and/or challenging than writing the action. Also sorry about the short chapter, but I couldn't think of a better way to end it.**

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><p>I paused, taking in the fresh air, slowing to a stop as I saw the forest, dark and forbidding in front of us. Amber, having grown tired long ago, was riding on my shoulder. She sent a questioning thought towards me, feeling my nervousness, and I said<p>

"This is the edge of the Viridian Forest. I've never been in it before, but this is the only way to get to Viridian City."

She hugged my head comfortingly, and I smiled, then resumed my pace into the forest, slightly cheerier than before.

As they made their way through the forest, battling all the Pokémon that got in the way, they began to become more comfortable in their skills, and the wild Pokémon gradually stopped being a challenge for the duo. Soon, when the sun sunk to just barely above the horizon, Artemis set up a sleeping bag and started a fire, preparing a meal of some berries and a simple soup.

After the meal, ate in companionable silence, I climbed into the sleeping bag and Amber curled up on top of the bag. I considered putting her in her Pokeball but as soon as I had the thought a wave of disappointment emanated from her. I felt this and decided that if she didn't like her Pokeball there was no reason to force her back into it. Before the thought had even completed itself I noticed a powerful feeling of contentment in the back of my mind, and I smiled at the small Pokémon. I fell asleep quickly and the day after we were at it again, training against and eventually catching a Shinx. I suggested the name Fynn, due to the unusual bit of hair sticking off of his head, and he agreed and we continued on our way.

When the sun finally fell, we set up camp, ate some of our now-dwindling food stores, and promptly fell asleep from the hard traveling of the day. The next morning, after checking the map again, I predicted we would reach Viridian City sometime later in the day, and we set out with renewed vigor. The day passed quickly, and we reached the city, glad for a chance to rest and gather strength. We stopped in the Pokecenter and I claimed a room, then gave Fynn to Nurse Joy so he could heal after the beating Amber gave him. Amber of course stayed with me, and after we had eaten we discussed what our plans were. Of course, she didn't actually say anything, but I could tell what she thought of each idea. We eventually decided to train for a few more days, then watch a few gym battles to find a weakness in the gym leader's strategy. There was only one bed so she again curled up on a pillow while I used the other. Morning came, and I prepared Amber a salad, as per usual, while I myself had some bacon, glad to have a stove instead of a campfire.

We ate quickly and headed back to collect Shinx, then headed back into the forest to train some more. The next few days blurred together as we trained together, teaching Amber the importance of terrain and the best way to take advantage of it. As we entered the gym to analyze the leader's moves, I was challenged by another trainer, a strange boy with a Pikachu, who I easily defeated. He was not significant enough to remember. His companions, however, were far more interesting. A male and a female, both gym leaders of their respective cities. I was curious how such a boy, about my own age, had managed to convince not one but two gym leaders to follow him. I managed to pick up a few tips from the orange one, but the one with no eyes disturbed me too much to converse with for any long period of time, so I left him alone.

When we went our separate ways, I found a seat in the bleachers, Amber at my side, and I pointed out possible openings in the technique of both the trainer and the leader. She watched carefully, and I sometimes noticed her excitement when she spotted an opening on her own. I was a little surprised when she did this; I knew psychic-types were usually pretty intelligent, but I didn't expect her to notice so many of the smaller things. We decided to train for the few hours we had left in the day, then challenge him tomorrow in the morning.

We managed to get a decent amount of training in before sundown, and I was confident in our ability to win tomorrow. Soon after we got back, I cooked a quick meal and collapsed into the bed, exhausted. Amber climbed onto the bed, curled up on her pillow, and fell asleep almost instantly. I lay myself down and quickly fell asleep as well.

In the morning it was business as usual, wake Amber, take shower, eat breakfast, and then we were off. I was nervous, I had never battled a gym leader before, and as confident as I was in my team, gym leaders were a big deal. Amber must have sensed my nervousness, because she seemed more skittish than usual. I knew we wouldn't win if she wasn't up to par, so I took a few deep breaths and calmed myself down, making sure that the only thought I was projecting was a kind of calm confidence. She seemed to settle down, and when we entered the gym, I knew we were going to come out of there successful. I first sent out Shinx, letting him take out the leaders' Gyrados, and when he brought out his Rhydon, I sent in Amber. She was more than a match his Rhydon, but when he finally sent out Exceggute, I knew that this was the real test. We exchanged blows, and Amber seemed to be weakening from the repeated grass attacks, but right as she took a blow that looked like it would finish her, I felt a rush of emotions, almost bringing me to my knees, course through my mind, and a very vague thought:

-Artemis-

I was shocked, to say the least. We had never conversed in anything except raw emotions. But she had just said a name! My name! Then, as if that wasn't enough, she began to glow, then change shape! When the process was finished, I felt confusion, then she unleashed such a powerful blast of psychic energy that the Exceggute was literally thrown into the air. She flexed her hands, reveling in her newfound strength.

He congratulated me and handed me a badge and a case, and I thanked him, trying to keep my cool until we were out of sight. As soon as I was outside, I jumped into the air with a loud "Yes!", drawing the attention of a few passing pedestrians. I calmed and walked to the Pokecenter, giving my Shinx to Nurse Joy for some well-deserved rest. I took Amber back to the room and she chirruped cheerfully and excitedly. I was a little unnerved by my uncharacteristic happiness, almost glee, but I realized that most of it was coming from her, and I smiled at the powerful emotions coming from such a small Pokémon.

-We did it!-

I was surprised once again, not only had I won my first gym badge, but Amber had evolved and spoken to me, which made everything that much better. We celebrated by taking the rest of the day off, and Amber and I wandered the forest, avoiding the tall grass, and silently enjoyed the many varied hues of green. When the sun began to go down, Amber climbed onto my shoulders and pointed up.

-Sunset-

I nodded, understanding exactly what she meant, and began to climb into one of the larger trees in the area. As we reached the top, she climbed off and balanced herself so she could watch the sunset. I wedged myself into a nook in the branches and watched with her, tired at the end of the day. Eventually, the sunset began to fade, and I knew we had to head back, so I thought

'Time to go.'

I knew she would hear me, so to speak, and I began climbing over to her. She looked at me, then lightly jumped on my shoulders, and we left the tree and began to head back to the Pokecenter. It started raining lightly while we had been in the tree, and by the time we got back to our room for the night, we were both thoroughly soaked. I headed into the bathroom and grabbed a towel, tossing another to Amber, before changing out of my drenched clothes and into some dryer ones. I climbed into the bed and Amber again claimed a pillow, but with her new-found size she couldn't fit entirely, so she shifted over next to me and fell asleep. The new sleeping arrangement was unusual, but I fell asleep quickly, exhausted even after a day of relaxation. In the morning, I woke to find Amber wrapped around my arm, asleep. I didn't want to wake her but we needed to head out today, and it would be better to move in the coolness of morning and take a break in the middle of the day. I gently shook her awake and she smiled up at me, removing herself from my arm and climbing out of bed to help with breakfast. We prepared our meal silently and ate in the same manner, then headed to the main room to pick up Shinx. We walked out the door, then down the road, and finally into the forest, on our way to the next gym, and the next town. As we wandered casually through the dim early morning forest, with only the diurnal Pokémon awake and moving about, I couldn't help but wonder what the future held in store for us.


	4. Chapter 4

- 6 Years Later -

I watched as my team worked its way through the other trainer, not even breaking a metaphorical sweat. This irksome fool with more concern for his hair than for training his Pokémon had challenged me, and I was demolishing him quite solidly. My team was nearly unbeatable, consisting of Amber, Luxio, (who had evolved about a year ago), Absol, and a newly-gained Riolu, and I knew the outcome of the battle as soon as he sent out his first Pokémon. I knew it was inexperienced and not very well trained, and his strategy had so many flaws it was practically begging to be exploited. But I still had some respect for him; every Pokémon that went down he comforted or congratulated, whichever seemed to be required. I had met some trainers that yelled or berated, and one who had actually resorted to getting physical with his Pokémon. I didn't know why it had let him get away with that, but that was where I picked up my Absol. He was left half-naked with no supplies and no money in what might have one of the worst blizzards I'd ever seen, and by that point in time I'd seen quite a few. I, of course, would never do that to my Pokémon. In addition to the absolutely horrific idea of doing that to any of my Pokémon, especially Amber (Who was an Emotion Pokémon), positive reinforcement always improves morale, which leads to better fighting. Which is what I was doing now.

"Excellent battle, team. I was especially impressed by the way you exploited his Blaziken's ember attack, Amber."

She nodded and I felt a sense of pride and a -Thank you-

I was different than most other trainers. Most trainers taught their Pokémon various moves and such, but when I trained those I would also engage in mental exercises with my other Pokémon. It was almost to the point where Amber could beat me to a standstill in chess. While the Pokémon I was training would still learn the move, I would also teach him/her and the rest of my team when to use it, how to make the most of it, and also how best to turn it to your advantage should your opponent use it. I don't believe in passive defense, I think that there is a way to counter every attack, and I teach that to my team. This basically makes them self-sufficient, and in battles I only rarely specifically told them what to do, which made it much more difficult for my enemies to anticipate and react. Of course not all Pokémon could do this, so I make sure that my team knows how good they are.

Which led me to where I was now, celebrating our most recent gym battle victory. We would be heading over the Coronet Mountain pass in less than a weeks' time, and we were stocking up on supplies tomorrow, so we decided to have a small feast. It left our bellies full and our spirits high, which was well worth the extra money we had to spend to replenish our food stores.

Amber still preferred walking (or riding on my shoulder when she got tired) to being inside her Pokeball, so she was by my side when we reached the last town before the pass. Which was a good thing, because if she hadn't been, I would never have noticed the large number of Pokémon sneaking up behind me. As we were walking, I heard a whisper in my mind

-Artemis, there's a large group of Pokémon on our six-

'Can you determine what they are and what they want?'

There was a slight hesitation, then

-I can feel... Hostility and anger. They plan to attack us. I can't tell when, or what exactly they are, but I think it's safe to assume that they're some kind of ice Pokémon-

I nodded, 'Do you think we can outrun them?'

-... I think so, yes. Wait, they're speeding up, it seems they're running now, they'll be on us in less than a minute-

I sighed, 'Damn it, alright I want you to pick up whichever seems like the leader and throw them into the others.'

-There's a group of about four that will make a nice target-

I smiled appreciatively, 'Excellent. How many will that leave?'

-About six or so-

I considered this, 'Alright, here's what I need you to do...'

Less than 45 seconds later, our preparations were complete. Exactly 13 seconds after that, the group of Beartic were on us. It started with Amber picking up the leader and tossing him into a clump of four, exactly to plan. Then when they were about to reach her, the ground collapsed under them, trapping them in the massive pit she had dug out moments before. She dropped the snow that had been hidden in the increasingly powerful blizzard onto their heads, burying them and ensuring our escape. In theory. Of course, the leader was back, and with three other Pokémon for backup, I felt the need to even the odds.

"Go Absol!" I yelled over the now-roaring blizzard, and he appeared next to me, looking at me for commands.

"Help Amber!" he nodded "Ab! Sol!" then sauntered up to Amber, preparing to handle whatever threats there were. I watched them battle, back-to-back, never going on the offensive, just letting the three tire themselves out, the leader looking on. Wait a second, three? Weren't there... 'Oh no...' right as I was tackled to the ground. Had I been expecting it, I might have been able to do something to lessen the blow, but with both Amber and I focused intently on the battle, the Beartic had managed to sneak around and hit me from the side. I could hear my ribs crack, but I was more upset that I has forgotten one of the most important rules of combat. 'Be aware of your surroundings.' I thought grimly, I heard Amber scream, a sound that reached me both physically and mentally, and I saw Absol go down. I tried to reach towards the Pokeballs at my belt but the Beartic grabbed me, preventing me from moving. I didn't know what to do, I was injured and couldn't move, Absol had been taken down while he was distracted, and Amber, still just a Kirlia, was stuck facing three Beartic, and some of the most powerful ones I had ever seen at that. I assumed I would be killed and either eaten or left in the snow, but my primary concern was my Pokémon, what would happen to them? What would happen to Amber? Thoughts flew through my head, and I recognized that not all of them were my own, then there was a wave, a pulse, of power in my mind, and I heard a scream, my own? and saw a bright flash of light before losing the fight against the darkness.

I was dreaming. There was a magnificent woman facing away from me, clad in a stunning white dress, slightly shorter than me, yet when she walked she stood tallest of all, with beautiful layered green hair, summoning images of a cool forest or a warm meadow, depending on the light, which was a huge contrast to the backdrop of snow and ice. Then I saw the Pokémon, outnumbering her, and I felt a rare and unusual emotion: fear. I saw her raise her arms, there was a visible blast of psychic energy, and I saw two get picked up and thrown away. She stood triumphantly, facing down the leader, but I noticed another sneaking up from behind her. I wanted to yell, to warn her, but I couldn't make a sound. She didn't seem to notice, and it leaped at her. I wanted to look away, to do anything except watch as this beautiful being was taken down, but right as it was about to reach her, it smashed into an invisible wall, rebounding and falling to the ground. The leader, element of surprise lost and backup defeated, decided to save its own cowardly skin. It ran, as fast as its legs could carry it, into the blizzard, soon disappearing from view. The figure watched him go, then when she was sure it was gone, she turned and faced towards me, and I caught a glimpse of her eyes.

They were the color of the clearest rubies, yet I could see flecks of gold in those beautiful jewels, burning brightly and intensely, defiant against the cold and the snow. When she looked at me, her eyes softened in comfort, concern, and something I didn't have a name for, I felt something stirring in my soul that I have never felt before, and then I fell through the glistening crimson orbs into darkness once more.

I woke slowly, unwillingly, then I remembered my dream and the events that had led to it, and my eyes flew open, painfully blasting light into my brain. I tried to sit up, but found my attempt blocked by a warm object, and I looked at my surroundings, trying to decipher where I was before finding out what was preventing me from moving. I was in a hospital, that much was obvious, but the windows were either closed or blocked entirely from the outside, by snow, maybe, because I couldn't see the outside. Then I looked to see what was on my chest, and my breath caught. My heart sped up and it became difficult to get enough air in my lungs, even though the weight on my chest was practically negligible. It was the woman from my dream, and now that I was conscious and not affected by the oddities of sleep, I could see that she was a Pokémon. A Gardevoir, specifically. I couldn't figure out where she had come from, or why she seemed so familiar, but then I remembered the flash of light and I realized - 'Amber?'

She woke, and looked up at me with her deep gold-flecked red eyes. I hadn't realized that she was so... was so... beautiful. I quickly pushed these thoughts away as she began 'speak'.

-Artemis! You're awake!-

I smiled slightly - "Where are we?"

I felt a whisper in my head, so very different than when she was a Kirlia. It was, somehow, stronger and softer at the same time, more emotional, yet more controlled, regal.

-A small hospital in Snowpoint. I brought you here after the battle-

'The battle!' she nodded solemnly.  
>"I saw you, fighting off the Beartics!"<p>

She seemed confused at this, so I found the memories, drifting around in my head, and thought about how best to describe them. I thought about Amber, fighting off the Beartics, not noticing I was beginning to feel whatever it was that I felt when she 'spoke' to me.

-Artemis!-

I was confused by her mental shout, and the strong sense of surprise, startlement, and confusion that emanated from her.

"What? What's wrong?"

-You just... I could feel... You didn't do that on purpose?-

"Do what? Amber, what are you talking about?" I asked, more confused than ever. I had just been thinking about Amber and remembering the strong sense of protection and something less tangible I had felt from her when I was dreaming, and she had freaked out. This time, when I thought about it, I noticed something, almost as if Amber wasn't just standing there in shock next to me, but as if she was somehow somewhere else too. I was confused, more so than ever, and I thought about talking to the other her when she shrieked again, not in pain or even in fear, but in surprise. As I noticed that she was still standing there mouth hung open, thoughts brought to a standstill, I suddenly noticed that I could see the other her practically jumping in surprise, and I reached out to her, when suddenly the other her, and everything else with it, faded to black.

When I woke again the first thing I saw was what must be the most elegant and refined Pokémon in the world. She was staring down at me with concern and wonder. I tried to ask her what was wrong, but my mouth refused to work.

-Artemis?-

"..."

I tried again, focusing intently on her, and then

'Hey Amber. What's wrong?'

She just looked at me,

-How are you doing that?-

'Doing what?'

Suddenly Nurse Joy walked into the room, shooing Amber away from the side of the bed. I struggled, 'Wait, no, Amber, don't leave!'

She resisted slightly, then Nurse Joy said something and she allowed herself to be moved back slightly, Joy was talking to me now, but her words lacked... substance. Then Amber spoke, her voice as clear as crystal, conveying concern and happiness that I was okay.

-How are you feeling?-

'Better, knowing that you're here.' I said, then I realized that Joy had just asked a question. My mouth struggled to function, but I found the words

"Sorry, what was that?"

"Can you tell me what happened?"

'How long was I out?'  
>"We were traveling over the Coronet Mountain and we were attacked by Beartics. Amber fought them off and I lost consciousness."<p>

-About two and a half days, all together-

"Well, I suppose you're lucky to be alive. Who exactly is Amber?"

'Two and a half days? Alright, alright, where are we?'  
>"Ummm... my Kir- My Gardevoir."<p>

-Snowpoint, it's near where we were attacked-

"Oh, I see. Well, you were brought in with some broken ribs and badly dehydrated. Luckily, your ribs are healing well, and we've been pumping fluids into you for the past day or so, so you should be able to leave in another day or so, just take it easy."

It was getting difficult to keep track of both conversations, so I thanked and dismissed Nurse Joy as politely as possible and she left with a promise to bring food in about a half an hour. That left just me and Amber, and she jumped up and sat next to me on the bed. I smiled at her and she smiled back,

-So... How are you doing that?-

'I still don't know what you mean.'

-Talking to me. How are you doing that?-

I frowned, 'I'm talking to you? Aren't you just reading the surface thoughts?'

She shook her head, -No, you're definitely talking to me. I can hear you in my head-

I was astonished, to say the least, I didn't understand. Was she saying that I was telepathic? I waited for a response, then realized that she was just looking at me curiously. Amber? Amber? Still nothing. I tried again

-Amber?-

I was shocked by this. Now that I knew what it was I could tell exactly what she meant, and it was amazing in every sense of the word. I could suddenly tell that she was happy, but also slightly concerned about me, without even looking at her.

-Yes?-

-I'm fine, really. You don't need to be worried-

She relaxed slightly at this,

-Am I really that obvious?-

-You are to me-

*sigh* -Fine, I'll stop worrying-

I looked at her, surprised it would be that easy, but she seemed to be calming down, so I assumed that something I had done worked. My best guess was that she had picked up on my tranquil thoughts, and realized that I really was fine. I had another thought, and I practically jumped out of bed.

-Amber! What happened to Absol?-

She gently but firmly pushed me back down,

-I got him back safely. He's in the Pokecenter with all your other Pokémon-

I was relieved, then realized something,

-Amber, why are you here with me instead of resting with the other Pokémon?-

She seemed almost embarrassed at this

-Oh! Well... I was worried and I wanted to make sure you were alright. Plus I didn't want you to wake up by yourself in an unfamiliar place-

I smiled at her, touched by her concern, but also slightly concerned myself

-Amber, how much sleep have you gotten since the battle?-

-Oh, well, ummm, I don't know, maybe about... six or so hours' worth?-

I was astonished, almost three days with only six hours of sleep? I would be passed out with exhaustion by this point in time.

-Amber! You need to get some sleep! And don't tell that you're fine, I can read minds now, remember?-

-Just my mind- she pouted, and sighed

-Besides, I'm not leaving you alone-

I rolled my eyes and scooted over on the bed to make room

-Fine, get over here-

She blushed and smiled, then wordlessly crawled into the bed and fell asleep on the pillow. I was questioning the logic of having such a stunningly beautiful female sharing a bed with me, but I realized that she trusted me more than anything else. I decided that I would not betray that trust for anything, and fell asleep with the comforting warmth of her presence, both physically and mentally, next to me.

A/N: In case it confused you, the thinking in single quotations (after she evolved) was telepathy, he just didn't realize it was until she told him. I like throwing you guys a curve ball every now and again. Obviously very limited, I can hardly keep things realistic if our protagonist can actually read minds.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Wow, looking back at this chapter, I have come to realize something. It's way better if you write something all in one sitting, rather than spread it out over s couple of weeks like I did. Whatever, I'm not impressed with this chapter, but I guess I did alright on the fluff.**

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><p>When I drifted back into consciousness, the first thing I noticed was a feeling of calm, of rest, like nothing could go wrong, and a curiously familiar smell, reminiscent of a green meadow after a light rain. The second thing I noticed was the warmth, and slight, very slight, weight of a body resting on my chest. I opened my eyes but the world remained black, and for a moment I panicked, then I saw a sliver of light from a door, dimmed by a curtain.<p>

As my eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, I saw Amber, still asleep, her head on my stomach, a contented expression on her face, and I felt that strange feeling in my gut again. I watched her for a while, then she began to stir in her sleep, and I quickly looked away from her. In my peripheral vision she slowly and sleepily opened her eyes, and I turned back to her, smiling contently.

-Good morning, Amber.-

She smiled back up at me.

-Good morning-

That smile... I shook my head to clear it.

-Are you ready to go? You were pretty exhausted.-

She nodded -I slept better than usual, probably because I was so tired-

I nodded in return, it made sense, then sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed. The nurse had been nice enough to leave my clothes on a chair, and I was glad to see that the impact hadn't ruined any of them. I stepped into the small bathroom to change out of the pathetic paper gown they stuck you in, and I asked Amber

-So how exactly did you get me to the hospital?-

I could feel the pride in her voice when she replied

-I teleported us-

I was surprised. I didn't know how far it was, but I knew that teleporting any distance was a huge effort and that bringing a human and another Pokémon with you had to be exhausting, especially after a large battle

-Amber, that's amazing!-

-Yeah-

I stepped out of the bathroom, and Amber hopped off the bed lightly, falling into step besides me as we headed into the main area. Nurse Joy stopped us in the lobby,

"Wait! You shouldn't be moving yet."

I gave her my most charming smile and said

"But I feel fine, Miss Joy."

-Oh really? Then you wouldn't mind if I poked you in your broken ribs?-

-Shhh. This place is boring.-

"Well... if you're sure..."

and although she was reluctant and hesitant, she did allow me to leave, and we headed out into the snow. As we stepped outside, I saw piles of snow everywhere, and was grateful that somebody had cleared a path from the door. Amber suddenly spoke

-Artemis, are you sure you're alright? I can feel your pain-

I shrugged,

-Nothing a little stretching won't fix. My ribs are a little sore, but that won't last long.-

She seemed dubious, but accepted my answer and we headed off. We walked to the road, then wandered around in town for a little while until we decided to pick up the rest of my team from the Pokémon center. After checking to make sure that everyone and their Pokeballs were alright, I recalled them (except for Amber, of course) and left the city and headed down the mountain. It was much easier than getting up there in the first place, and barely three hours later we began to see greenery again.

As we walked, I noticed a noise, barely distinguishable from the normal sounds of the forest, and said

-Hold up, Amber.-

She looked at me curiously,

-What is it?-

I motioned for her to follow me in lieu of a response, and we slowly headed towards the sound. As we emerged into a clearing, I found what I had been looking for.

-Check this out.-

She came to my side, and she smiled at the sight of the small sunny river, and the surrounding forest rife with beautiful flora.

-We've been working pretty hard these past few weeks, I think the team deserves a break. How about you?-

Her smile grew even bigger

-That sounds like a great idea!-

I smiled at her, and pulled my Pokeballs off my belt and thumbed the buttons, releasing Fynn, Shade, and Rix. They looked at me expectantly and I took the most serious face I could. Amber worked at suppressing her laughter while I said to them,

"Now, I know you've all been working hard for these past few weeks, and I'm very proud of you all, there is something we've been neglecting..."

I grinned, and Amber used her powers to splash them all simultaneously. The confusion on their faces lasted only a second before the water hit them. I stepped back to avoid getting splashed, and Amber lifted herself off the ground, which was getting soaked quite rapidly. I was normally above such... silliness, but the expressions on their faces were so worth it, and when they turned to see Amber, completely dry except for her eyes which were tearing from laughing so hard, I couldn't help but laugh as well.

As they faced me again, reproachful, I tried to come up with an excuse,

"... Yeah, I got nothing. I just wanted to see you guys get splashed."

They stared for a few more seconds, then I pointed towards the unnoticed stream,

"What? You guys were going to get wet anyways."

They turned around, saw the sparkling water, and instantly forgot all about the incident as they hurried to get there first. I watched for a while, then faced Amber.

-What? You're not going with them?-

She smiled slightly, and said

-Maybe. For now though, I'm tired. Why don't you?-

I shrugged,

-I don't know. I'd rather stay here. Besides, I'd hate for you to get lonely.-

I was mostly kidding, but she grinned gratefully anyways.

-I travel with you, silly! Go have fun with your other Pokémon. Some guy bonding time-

My lips twitched upwards slightly at the thought, then I nodded and stood up. It had been awhile since I had let loose, I suppose. I walked to the bank of the stream, then sat next to Shade and Fynn, who were, having claimed their perfect spots, watching Rix play in the water.

I smiled at them, and asked

"So is there anything you guys feel like doing today?"

Shade shook his head, but Fynn thought for a moment and mewed quietly. I laughed

"Well of course we're gonna get food. I meant anything we don't get to do very often."

Fynn tilted his head, then repeated the negatory head shake. I turned my attention back to Rix, then felt a rush of emotions from Amber. I frowned in thought,

"Hold on guys, I'll be right back, I think Amber found something."

-What is it, Amber?-

-Come see!-

I could feel the excitement pouring off of her, and I used that to follow her. I wandered through thick trees for about five minutes before wandering out of the trees. The sides of the clearing were covered in flowered bushes, the trees covered the grove, and the sun could only barely be seen through their leaves, leaving the scene in a picturesque twilight. Amber stood off to the side, but still managed to complete the image of perfection and beauty, and in the middle, a pond, clear, bubbly, and about ten feet across, that gave life to the surrounding plants. I began to ask Amber what was so exciting about it, but then I noticed a slight smell of sulfur, saw the steam, and understood.

-Wow, how'd you find this?-

Amber shrugged,

-I was looking for berries, and I stumbled upon this. Literally-

I smiled and said,

-I'll be right back.-

She seemed slightly disheartened that I wasn't as excited as she was, and asked,

-Where are you going?-

-I have to change.-

She smiled shyly at this, and climbed into the hot spring, hissing at the scalding water. I left the grove, and headed back to the stream, where I quickly set up camp and changed unto my swim trunks. Shade made a questioning noise at me and I told him

"Amber found a hot spring, I'm going to go relax."

Shade nodded his acknowledgement and I headed back into the trees, eager at the chance to release my stress and not worry about being a trainer for a while. Even though it had been a few days, the events on the mountain still made me shiver every time I thought them.

As I entered into the grove, I noticed that the flowers overpowered the sulfur, leaving the area with an overall pleasant smell. I smiled at Amber, eyes closed and mouth slightly open, resting in the spring, and carefully tested the water with my foot, wincing slightly at the heat. I slowly and painfully slid in, waiting impatiently for my skin to adjust, before settling myself on the convenient rock that had become my bench and sinking up to my neck, sighing blissfully.

-This is lovely...-

Amber smiled, eyes still closed, and silently agreed with me. We were there for a few hours, the constant background noise of the forest and spring broken only by our occasional shifting, sending slight ripples through the water. Unfortunately, at about three or so, I began to notice my stomach whining at me, and I groaned, reluctant to leave our small slice of paradise.

-What's wrong?-

-I wish we could stay like this, but I need to get some food.-

Instead of replying, she sat up, looked around, and used her power to pluck a number of berries off of a nearby bush. I laughed quietly and thanked her before closing my eyes and reaching for the berries in front of me.

My hand grasped only air, so I opened my eyes to see that the berries had not moved, and were still floating in the air. I looked at Amber, saw the mischievous glint in her eyes, and grabbed at the berries again. She grinned evilly and the berries moved tantalizingly out of reach. I struggled to conceal my smile and prepared to launch myself at the berries.

She watched me closely, trying to guess my next move, and I propelled myself towards the food, kicking off the inner wall of the spring, attempting to grab them before they could move again. I was partially successful, managing to snatch one of the berries before they moved, but that still left three hanging in the air mockingly. I looked at Amber who was now giggling at my attempt, and carefully ate my berry, before taking a breath and submerging.

The water was uncomfortably warm on my face and stung my eyes, but I swam towards the middle and settled underneath the berries, launching myself upwards and grabbing the rest as I exploded out of the water. When the water calmed I held the berries aloft victoriously and smirked playfully at Amber, who was now laughing quite hard.

-Hah! I win!-

She calmed and said

-Yeah, I guess you do-

I quickly ate the berries and sat on the rocks next to her.

-Thanks, by the way.-

She looked at me curiously, -For what?-

I shrugged, -I don't know, everything I guess. Finding this, for sure. Saving me on the mountain. I guess just being with me these past few years.-

She smiled at me, then reached up and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. I was surprised by the suddenness of her actions, and blushed furiously, hugging her back just as securely. We held this position for awhile, then separated and continued to sit in a comfortable silence. Nothing needed to be said, or thought, for the next hour or so, when I realized that my other Pokémon were going to be hungry. I regretfully climbed out of the spring while Amber watched me curiously.

-What's up?-

I sighed, -I have to go take care of Shade, Fynn, and Rix.-

She nodded her understanding, then lifted herself out of the water and said to me,

-I'll catch up with you-

I shrugged and headed back through the forest. As I made my way into the open, I saw Rix splashing in the shallow water, and Shade and Fynn sunning themselves on some flat rocks. I started a small cooking fire, then set up my sleeping bag while I waited for the food to be ready. Fynn must have noticed the smell of food, because not long after that he sauntered over to our campsite, growling hungrily.

Before too long, Shade appeared as well, carrying Rix gently with his teeth. As he dropped Rix near the fire, he shook himself, spraying water droplets everywhere, causing the fire to steam. I laughed at his fur, fluffed up and very undignified.

"What happened to you?"

He growled at me, Amber both translating and giggling at his story,

-Apparently, the little one was giving him trouble, so he tried to grab him but ended up slipping and falling into the water-

I was actually a bit surprised at that, "You? Slipping? I never would have guessed."

He growled again,

-Well, he says Rix pulled him in, and that the rocks were slippery and wet, but I don't entirely believe that-

I laughed again, and he looked at me darkly before beginning to groom his fur into its correct position. I checked on the food and, after seeing that it was ready, dug the bowls out of my bag and handed food around. Shade and Fynn dug in instantly, while Rix had to be talked into eating by Amber, I smiled at her, always taking care of our little group.

After we all finished, I repacked everything and recalled everyone except Amber into their respective Pokeballs to sleep. I climbed into my sleeping bag and tossed Amber the blanket that she used as her bed. She set up in between the fire and I, then leaned back against me, sighing contentedly.

I smiled and pulled her slightly closer, earning a quiet -Eep!- of surprise. She settled next to me and I could feel her smile, both with my mind and my heart. I whispered to her, conveying my emotions as fully as possible,

-Goodnight, Amber.-

-Goodnight, Arty-

I was about to ask her where that nickname had come from, but she was already asleep. As I contemplated everything that had happened, my mind drifted to Amber, and then into unconsciousness as a calm and wonderful sleep overtook me.

I woke with mixed feelings. On one hand, I was leaning against a tree, and it was not a comfortable place to fall asleep in. But I had Amber, essentially lying on my lap, looking incredibly adorable in her sleep. Pretty soon, however, she began to wake, and I carefully shifted to get a better look at her.

She sat up, and with the morning light on her face, I couldn't help but notice how stunningly beautiful she had become, and it concerned me. Not that she was beautiful, but that I had noticed it. I was almost 17 by now, and of course I had dealt with more than a few good-looking women, even considered dating a few, but I always had to move on, which prevented any kind of meaningful relationship. But Amber traveled with me all the time...

I was shaken out of my thoughts with a cheery -Good morning-

I smiled at her, -Good morning Amber.-

We put away the sleeping bag and blanket, made sure our fire was out, and headed off to resume our quest for badges. As we walked, I said to Amber,

-You know what? We should do that more often.-

Amber silently nodded her agreement and we fell into a companiable silence, glad to be on the road again.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry for not updating in such a long time, but school and new videogame releases, as well as Inheritance, have kept me busy. Of course, the literary side project I did just for fun probably didn't speed this process, but I'm incapable of writing anything good unless I /feel/ it. On that note, let's begin.

Edit: Whew, a month later, work has resumed. And I'm sorry for making Ash even dumber than he usually is, but after reading dozens of AAML fics, I just can't give his intellect any respect.

* * *

><p>This was it, this was the moment where I fulfilled my destiny or died trying.<p>

... okay so that was a bit of an exaggeration, but I was not going to lose to some kid with a Pikachu after tearing apart the Elite Four plus hundreds of other trainers over the years.

My team had grown, both in size and strength, over the past year or so, and both Fynn and Rix had evolved. I had also added two more members to my team, completing it and rounding out my type-effectiveness. I had picked up a Vulpix, who had only recently evolved into a Ninetails, and awhile before that, an Eevee who had evolved into a Leafeon.

My team was not only powerful, but smart, and I knew that we stood a real chance against the champion. The Elite four, as tough as they were, had been decimated by my team. Not a single pokémon had been knocked out, and our spirits were running high from our recent and overwhelming victory.

Of course, people become the Pokémon champion because they have something, be it a strong team, a good strategy, or a lot of money. And the champ didn't seem to be that well off, or that intelligent, so I was betting that his team was more than powerful enough to beat mine if we were reckless and stupid. Which came to the part of the pre-battle that I hated most: the pep talk.

Amber floated by my side while Fynn, Rix, Shade, Emery (my Leafeon), and Haley (my Ninetails) had arranged themselves in a rough semicircle in front of me, each pretending they weren't feeling the same nervous energy I was. I took a deep breath and let the tension flow out with it. My team had ceased their quiet side conversations with my exhalation, and were now focusing solely on me, nearly bringing the stress back into my mind and body, but I refused to let it and instead gave them a relaxed smile.

I had planned my short speech out with Amber once we had realized that we were going to fight the league champion, and every word and action was calculated to inspire the kind of confidence that would allow my team to perform their best. It was at that moment that I had an epiphany: I knew we were going to win. I just knew it. My prepared words evaporated like raindrops in the afternoon sun, and I opened my mouth and let my certainty, my confidence, and my deep respect for them flow forth in whatever form it chose to take.

"Well team, it's been a long road. In the time we've spent together, battling, playing, relaxing, and training, I've come to know you all in a way I think most ordinary people wouldn't, /couldn't/, begin to understand. I know all your strengths and weakness, physical and otherwise, and I know, I /know/ that we're going to win today. In fact, we've already won. Just by getting here. Sure, we haven't even fought the soon-to-be previous champion, but does that matter? No! It doesn't. How many people have walked these same steps since the previous champion? Since the one before him? Dozens? Hundreds? It doesn't matter. They weren't us. Whatever the champ thinks he knows about battling, we're going to prove him wrong."

I was pacing now, seemingly agitated, but on the inside I felt nothing but a calm certainty. It might have just been me, but it seemed that my team was picking up on the mental waves I was sending. Morale was soaring, and we could've taken on the world at that moment. I changed tack

"Everything we've done so far has prepared us for this day, this fight, and I am proud to consider you all not just teammates but something more: my family."

My eyes met those of my team, my friends, my family, lingering on Amber's for just a moment before I grinned ruefully,

"...my admittedly dysfunctional family."

They grinned back and chuckled a bit, even Shade who was normally all business had to release a short bark of laughter. I grew serious again

"Thank you all, for sticking by me and for tolerating just about everything I've put you guys through. But this isn't my victory, it's not Fynn's, Rix's, Shade's, Emery's, Haley's, or even Amber's victory. This is _**our**_victory," I pounded my chest with a fist for emphasis, "and this is our destiny! Today, we become Champions!"

My speech was met with cheers and cries of victory, with Amber translating what needed to be. I smiled at my team, making sure that the moment lasted as long as possible. Then, a man came in and ushered my team into the stadium. He told me my pokémon had to be put back into their pokéball, but his protest petered out under their determined glare and my skeptical eyebrow.

I had no logical reason for saving Amber for last, but I had a feeling that he would do the same for his most loyal, most powerful pokémon - his Pikachu by the looks of it. I decided that I might as well do the same, plus it just made emotional sense, if not logical sense: Amber had not just been there at the beginning, she had /been/ the beginning. It was only fair that she was the one to finish it.

But before that, we had a lot of work to do. We entered the stadium, temporarily blinded by the arena lights, but I kept walking, knowing there was nothing to trip over. When my eyes adjusted, I saw the current champion, smiling and lazily bouncing a pokéball in his hand, his Pikachu resting on his official pokémon league hat. I wasn't certain, but I suspected that he would use a grass-type first, so I spoke quietly to Haley.

"I get the feeling he's going to use a grass type first, so you'll be starting the battle." I turned to the rest of my team with a bit of last-minute advice.

"Don't take any ridiculous risks. This isn't some novice trainer, he likely has an excellent eye for moves, so make your feints subtle and your real attacks even more so. Keep him on his toes, don't fall into any predictable patterns. This is going to be a long battle one way or another, focus more on avoiding damage than dealing it. Don't wear yourselves out. If we can tire him out he'll make mistakes. Also, I'll probably call out commands from time to time, but if you can think of a better plan, do it. I want him guessing all the time. I know you guys can do it. Right?"

They cheered, softly this time, and the announcer began speaking.

"This is a championship match between challenger Artemis..."

His words dulled and faded as my mind focused in on my opponent, analyzing, calculating. Probabilities, possibilities, tactics, and strategies flowed through my mind, slowly at first, then more quickly, and I discarded the ones I didn't need and saved the ones I might. I saw him flip his hat backwards and throw a pokéball, then watched the red outline coalesce into something... There! Serperior! I smiled, my intuition had been correct. Haley bared her teeth at me in a feral smile, everything was good so far. I heard him call an attack and she faced back towards the enemy.

"Alright Serperior, let's start thing off with a leaf tornado!"

I watched as Haley laughed slightly, she always was the wild one, and easily annihilated the attack with a weak flamethrower right as I called it out. Of course, that was just a test. That was how all battles started, prodding at the enemies defenses. There would be a few more back-and-forths before the battle began in earnest,

"Alright Serperior, use leaf storm then break right and hit 'em with your vine whip! Don't let them recover!"

... or perhaps not. I guess he was more impatient than I.

"Haley, dodge." It was a simple move, but I spoke calmly, curious to see what she would do. She dodged, at first, then grabbed a vine with her teeth, using the momentum from the dodge to throw him into his own attack. The tornado didn't do much, but the high-powered flamethrower did. Of course, he wasn't done yet, that would be far too easy. He recovered and I nearly laughed out loud at the surprise written on each of their faces.

"You don't have very good control of your pokémon, do you?"  
>He yelled across the din of battle at me. I pretended to look surprised and discomforted and spoke sternly to Haley,<p>

"Haley!"

She looked at me in confusion, then understanding, and she shuffled her feet mock-embarrassment. I could feel the amusement in her mind and spoke to her.

-Alright, this poor sod is less intelligent than I originally anticipated. Just do what I say, for now. I'd like him to be clueless for as long as possible.-

She nodded her understanding, then looked back in time to dodge a nasty-looking tackle. I relayed the same thing to Amber and told her to notify my team, and they each nodded in amusement at my easy dismissal of our opponent, currently the best trainer in the region. I watched Haley avoid another attack, then decided that it would be a good time to press the offensive.

"Alright Haley, use your flame tail!"

This was a move that Haley pulled off wonderfully, in essence using Iron Tail but coming out of it with a Flare Blitz-esque tackle. The enemy pokémon looked to the bewildered champ for instructions, and he quickly called out,

"Dodge right Serperior!"

I filed this bit of knowledge away for future use, and directed Haley to do a flip and spin, a tactic we had developed for such an occasion, using the momentum from the jump to land and quickly spin, sweeping sideways to hit a dodging opponent. It landed perfectly, sending the pokémon flying through the air in a spectacular ball of fire.

"Haley, follow it up with a flamethrower!"

She nodded and took a deep breath, bringing her fire to bear and launching it towards where he'd land. I was certain this would end the fight, but the champion had other plans.

"Serperior, twist and retaliate with a slam!"

I knew that we had plenty of time to avoid it, but I decided it was time for a calculated risk.

"Still, Haley."

She froze, following my line of thought as she watched Serperior close rapidly, then at the last possible moment jumped backward, minimizing the force he could apply. As they both flew through the air, Haley by choice, Serperior from the unexpected loss of resistance, I quickly yelled out,

"Now bite!"

She clamped down on her opponents neck and swung him around, changing all of his forward momentum into downward force and slamming him into the ground.

"Alright Haley, finish this with another flame tail."

I watched her jump into the air, spinning to bring her tail onto the dazed creature's head.

"Serperior, roll right!"

I watched it twitch, then begin to roll to the right. I immediately saw that it would make it, barely, and I know Haley could too because I felt her frustration, so I quickly ordered her to use a flamethrower. The Serperior, still trying to get up, had no chance. I watched as the move contacted spectacularly, instantly KO'ing the opponent. I smiled, one down and my pokémon wasn't even prohibitively exhausted. Just a bit tired. I waved her over, and she beamed at me as she cheerfully trotted back to me.

-Excellent work, Haley!-

She nodded at me, then licked my hand and curled up on the ground next to me.

-A bit tired, huh? That's alright, I think you're done.-

-Hm, thanks-

Was all I got out of her before she promptly fell asleep. I laughed quietly, then turned to my team.

"Alright guys, so far so good. Emery, you're up next. You saw what happened out there, so compensate accordingly. Also, he favors his right side, so flank left."

I could see the champion studying us, so I nudged Haley awake and spoke to her,

-Hey Haley, up and at 'em. Here's the deal: I want you to look like you're getting psyched up to go out there again. Don't look, but the champ is watching us, so I'm hoping he'll try and counter with a water-type so that Emery can win definitively.-

She nodded her understanding, then stood up and shook herself, letting off a tiny burst of flame in preparation. I smiled approvingly and looked over towards the champion as he asked me,

"You ready?"

I looked down at Haley and she yipped enthusiastically, filling her role perfectly. I also cast a surreptitious glance at Emery, and she smiled and nodded slightly. He pulled out a pokéball and I signaled the advance for my team, watching as Emery leaped forward and began preparing to fight. I watched the surprise flash across the champion's face as he recognized that my pokémon was not a fire-type. He looked over at Haley and she smiled smugly before sitting back down next to me and licking a paw delicately. He shook his head as his pokéball released a strong-looking, but ultimately ineffective Floatzel.

I smiled at him and gestured for him to make the first move. He wasted no time, starting off with a water gun that Emery, instead of dodging, shielded herself from with a magnificent leaf tornado. Out of all of my pokémon, she was the one who would have won Contests, if we had chosen to do that. By the time the spray cleared, she was already ready to go with a solar beam. I had, of course, called out the leaf tornado quite loudly, continuing our deception, but the solar beam was too good of a move to give him any chance to prepare for. So it wasn't until the last moment that I called out

"Emery, solar beam!"

I vaguely heard the champion cry out dodge, but I knew, and I knew Emery knew as well, that he was going to be about a meter to the right by the time her solar beam was fired. The last remnants of the leaf tornado were utterly obliterated by her solar beam, nearly supercharged by the midday sun. It landed a solid hit on the Floatzel, knocking it down but not out, and I used this opportunity to prepare another attack.

"Alright Emery, leaf blade!"

I could hear the champion urging his Floatzel to get up, but there was no way. Under the right conditions - like today's - and against a water-type, solar beam was easily as powerful as hyper beam. And that was not an attack that you walked off.

I watched as Emery and her glowing green tail crashed down on the helpless Floatzel, ending the match with a spectacular finishing move. Emery trotted back to my side cheerfully and I leaned down and rubbed her on the head. She practically purred and I grinned at her behavior. I watched the champion out of the corner of my eye and to my surprise he seemed unconcerned that I had just wrecked a third of his team. I watched him suspiciously, but he simply asked if I was ready. I knew he had a trick or two up his sleeve, but I was prepared. My team and I could handle anything that he threw at us.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A/N: I actual finished the previous chapter a while ago, I just didn't realize it, eheheh, sorry guys. But it's okay, I'm back and writing again. I'll probably get distracted by starting a new Vocaloid fic, but maybe I can finish this before that happens.

Edit: The Charizard vs. Lucario story was inspired by a story I read on /b/

* * *

><p>The champion stood ready, tossing a pokéball in his hand. I thought about his previous choices: they had been grass and water, and he seemed a bit unoriginal, which meant that his next choice could very well be a fire-type of some kind. I looked around, I didn't want to send Haley out again so soon, so that left Fynn, Shade, and Rix.<p>

Rix, being a steel-type, was out of the question, so I debated between Fynn and Shade. Not knowing what secondary type his next choice might be, I decided that on the off chance he didn't go with a fire-type, he might very well go with a fighting-type so I planned accordingly.

"Go for it, Fynn."

He nodded and sauntered out to the middle of the field, assuming a ready position. I was disappointed and a bit annoyed when a Donphan appeared instead of the anticipated fire-type.

"Don't worry about this, Fynn. We can handle it!"

The only problem was I had focused on special attacks more so than with any of my other pokémon, and so his two most powerful attacks were wild charge and thunder fang. He had a mean crunch attack, and take down came naturally to him, probably from his heritage, but I wasn't certain that would be enough.

The champion started the match off with an earthquake, and I could only watch as Fynn ran around the field, trying to avoid the powerful attack.

"Fynn, use take down! Stay on top of him and you can avoid the earthquake."

Fynn hesitated for a moment, looking for a good opportunity, then leaped as high and far as he could. I had seen him jump before, and even I was impressed when his motion described an almost 30-foot arc. He crashed into the Donphan with such force that a weaker pokémon would have been sent flying. As it was, however, the Donphan merely staggered a bit.

"Alright Donphan, use another earthquake then hit 'em with rollout!"

Fynn was once again on the defensive as the enemy rolled across the uneven and broken ground, always right on his tail, almost literally at times. I didn't think we could win, but I had an idea about how we could tie the round, at the least.

"Alright Fynn, use wild charge!"

He launched himself as far away from the Donphan as possible, then charged up and released his most powerful attack. It collided with the Donphan and I saw Fynn stagger from the attack. Of course, the Donphan kept on rolling, but it seemed to be affected by it - if only slightly - so I kept my hopes up.

Fynn again went to dodge the incoming pokémon, but as he landed, the ground split and as he was still shaking off the aftereffects of his wild charge he was distracted and barely managed to keep his footing. He steadied and launched himself forward and upward again, only to be stopped by the Donphan crashing into his side, sending him flying towards more of the broken ground.

He twisted to try and land on his feet, but I heard my opponent call out rock throw, and so as soon as he hit the ground he began getting pummeled my massive rocks. I knew it was over for him, and I cursed as I realized that I has just made the most idiotic mistake in my life: I had underestimated the skill of the champion.

I watched as the Donphan launched itself into another rolling tackle, so I called to Fynn, who was near unconscious amongst the piles of rock and torn-up ground.

"Launch yourself away from it when it hits you, lessen the blow as much as possible."

He nodded exhaustedly, then took up a noticeably sloppier ready stance. The enemy came closer far too quickly for my liking and he launched himself backwards in a jump that was pitiful compared to the others. He flew through the air towards my group and I spoke to Amber.

-Slow him down, would you? He's done more than enough.-

She nodded, then waited as he flew closer and closer. At about 3 meters away I saw the distinctive glow of her telekinesis, and I caught him as he landed gently in my outstretched arms.

"Hey there buddy, you alright?"

He nodded, then licked at a wound he had acquired and I sighed,

"Damn, sorry about that. You did good. Why don't you get some rest."

He nodded quietly, then I set him down and he curled up around my legs and fell asleep instantly. The champion looked at me expectantly, and I shrugged.

"Unable to battle, more or less."

He nodded, and the announcer repeated my words. I didn't really have anything that would work particularly well against a pure ground-type, but that's because there were few of them. I nodded to Shade,

"Alright, you saw what happened out there, keep on the move and alternate between psycho cut and razor wind whenever you have the opportunity."

He nodded his understanding, then leaped out and instantly started with a sucker punch before his opponent had a chance to act. The champion repeated his tactic with the earthquake and rollout, and Shade danced around, following my instructions and slowly wearing down the Donphan. After about a minute or so, the champion realized that his strategy (if you could call it that) wasn't working.

"Alright Donphan, use rock throw then follow it up with a giga impact!"

I remained completely calm.

"Shade, double team and stay out of the way."

Instantly, half a dozen copies of him appeared and all launched themselves in random directions. I was hard-pressed to pick out the right one, and I only recognized him from the way his seemingly random movement was actually a pattern. I saw that he was building up speed for another sucker punch, and I mentally cheered for him.

I watched as the Donphan crashed into one of the copies, destroying it utterly, then fly through the air as Shade - the real one - slammed into the unprotected underside of his opponent with his most powerful Dark-type attack. I knew we had won this round, but I didn't let it go to my head.

"Alright Shade, use psycho cut then finish him off with another sucker punch."

The psycho cut hit while he was still in the air, and the sucker punch tossed him back into the air just before be hit the ground. He landed near the champion and didn't get up, and the announcer declared me the victor of this round. I smiled as Shade walked back over to us, ever graceful.

"Nice work out there, Shade."

He nodded stoically, then curled up next to Haley and fell asleep. I chuckled at the cute sight, then looked over to the blue and black humanoid on my left.

-Alright Rix, you're up.-

He nodded, then casually walked out to the field while the champion simultaneously tossed a pokéball.

"Go Charizard!"

I grimaced, this was not in my favor, but I had a plan.

-Alright Rix, start things off with an aura sphere, then just keep avoiding his attacks and retaliating.-

-Got it-

I watched him prepare and release it, and it contacted the enemy. I frowned as the Charizard stood completely still, just letting it hit him. It appeared to do nothing, and I sighed, knowing that it would require a lot more then brute strength to win.

"Alright Charizard, use heat wave!"

Lucario followed my instructions to the letter, dodging and using dragon pulse against him. The Charizard roared, not in pain, but in annoyance. We just weren't doing any real damage.

"Alright Charizard, now use wing attack!"

-Quickly, extreme speed and grab onto him.-

Rix dashed off, slamming into the Charizard and then flipping around him, holding on to him but out of reach of his claws and jaws.

"Take off, Charizard!"

The pokémon struggled to lift off with the added weight, but once he was airborne he easily took off towards the sky.

-Alright Rix, close combat. Just keep hitting him until he starts to come back down, then try to pin his wings.-

I felt his comprehension of my plan, as well as a terse acknowledgement. Charizard flew until both he and Rix were mere dots amongst the sunny sky, then saw them begin to drop back down at an uncontrollable pace.

-Alright Rix, get ready to jump as hard and as high as you can.-

They kept falling, achieving terminal velocity about 40 feet off the ground. Another second, then-

-Now!-

Rix launched himself upwards with a herculean leap, then he crashed down in an explosion of dust not quite as big as the one kicked up by the Charizard's landing, if you could call it that. I waited for the dust to clear, and saw Lucario standing atop his beaten and unconscious opponent. I grinned and gave him a thumbs-up.

-Nice work, Rix!-

He walked back over to me as the Champion recalled his Charizard. He nodded at me.

"Not bad. That was quite clever of you. Telepathic, huh?"

I smiled and gave a one-fingered salute,

"Only sometimes."

He nodded and prepared his last pokéball. I turned to my team.

"So, who wants to take care of this last pokémon?"

-I will-

I turned to Rix,

-So soon? Are you sure about this?-

He nodded, -I can handle it-

I gestured towards the field,

-Alright, go for it.-

He walked out and the champion threw his pokéball, releasing a Scraggy. I wasn't particularly familiar with the pokémon, but I knew it was Fighting/Dark type, which meant that one way or another this battle wouldn't last long.

"Alright Scraggy let's start things off with focus punch!"

-Aura sphere, then dodge and use it again.-

The first aura sphere collided with the enemy's glowing fist and exploded, but really didn't do much otherwise. The second, however, didn't even do that much.

"Dodge Scraggy!"

He jumped, again to the right, and the attack missed it's mark.

"Head smash, Scraggy!"

-Aura sphere again, then close combat as soon as he gets in close.-

Another aura sphere hit him, doing negligible damage but temporarily blinding him and allowing Rix to deliver a number of blows to unprotected parts of his body.

"Quickly, focus punch again Scraggy!"

The opponent spun and Rix blocked the attack. It looked like it hurt, but it was nothing Rix couldn't handle.

-Dragon pulse, then follow it up with one final aura sphere.-

He readied his attack, then launched it at the enemy. It collided, throwing him backwards slightly, but not knocking him off his feet.

"Quick, dodge!"

Scraggy jumped right, and half a second later the aura sphere solidly connected, finishing the round. Rix returned to my side, then sat heavily on the ground.

-A good fight-

I nodded in acknowledgement.

-A difficult one, but you handled it spectacularly. Excellent work out there, Rix.-

He nodded, then gently shook Fynn awake in preparation for the final battle. I saw Emery do the same for Haley and Shade. I turned to Amber.

-Well, this is it, huh? We've come a long ways, you and I, and I can easily say there's no one I'd rather have done it with.-

She floated closer and hugged me, surprising me.

-Let's win this, Artemis-

I smiled and she leaned in as though to tell me a secret, then brushed her lips against my cheek, stunning me. She hurriedly floated out to the field, but not before I caught a glance of the deep blush on her face. I returned to reality in time to see the champion send out his Pikachu.

"Let's do this Pikachu! Come on, you've faced tougher opponents than this!"

"Pikapi!"

I mentally laughed at this - no he hadn't - but he'd learn that soon enough. The announcer raised his flags, then dropped them and cried out,

"Let the battle begin!"


End file.
